1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method and structure for repairing or making engineering changes to circuit boards having land grid array pads or other electrical interfaces; and, more particularly, to a method and repair structure for replacing individual pads and vias or plated through holes in land grid array or other electrical interface circuit boards having a large number of contact pads and vias.
2. Background Information
Many circuit boards with land grid arrays (LGAs) or other electrical interfaces have a very large number of connections and vias or plated through holes extending from the external connections on one surface of the board to internal wiring, and to wiring and connections on the opposite surface. Indeed, with the present technology, there are up to as many as 41,000 connections, many with associated vias or plated through holes, and this number is increasing as technology advances. In many instances, if a few or even one of these connections is defective, the entire board is defective and the connection and associated via must either be repaired or replaced or the entire board scrapped. Also, the circuit board with an LGA is typically used with an interposer which mounts a module thereon, which module has an integrated circuit chip mounted thereon. Any repair must be transparent to the module and accommodate such a mounting structure. Also, circuit boards having LGAs typically have internal circuitry and the repair must isolate this internal circuitry and provide additional connections to the internal circuitry through topside or bottom side metallurgy.
The present invention is applicable to different types of surface connections on circuit boards. However, it is especially useful in land grid arrays in which context the present invention will be described, although it is equally useful in other types of circuit boards having surface connections and plated through holes or vias.
According to the present invention, a method of repairing or modifying a land grid array (LGA) interface mounted on a printed circuit board, where the land grid array interface has a plurality of contacts on a first surface of the printed circuit board, and where at least one contact pad is connected to at least one electronic component mounted in or on the printed circuit board by a conductor, is provided. The method includes selecting the contact pad to be replaced and drilling a hole through the printed circuit board at the preselected location, which hole has a diameter sufficient to electrically isolate the preselected contact pad from all circuits contained in or on the printed circuit board. If any of the preselected contact pads or any conductor material directly attached to it remains attached to the board surface, the remaining contact pad or other attached conductor material is delaminated or removed by counterboring an opening, thereby separating the conducting material from the printed circuit board. A preformed replacement conductor/contact pad structure is then installed. The connector/contact pad structure is generally T-shaped and has an enlarged end portion which will serve as the replacement contact pad, having a diameter larger than the diameter of the hole that is drilled. Preferably, the end portion is generally cylindrical in shape, having opposed flat surfaces, one of which is disposed to abut against the first surface of the board, and the other is disposed to provide a contact surface, which preferably is plated with gold. If a counterbore is formed in the board, the end portion is disposed in the counterbore. The end portion is preferably the same structure as the contact pads on the circuit board so it can serve as a replacement contact pad.
The structure also has a stem portion which is disposed to extend into and through the hole drilled in the circuit board at the location of the selected contact pad. The stem portion is longer than the thickness of the circuit board. In one embodiment, a portion of the stem of the structure is encased in a dielectric material which is the same size or just slightly smaller than the diameter of the hole drilled. The structure encased in the dielectric material is then inserted in the hole that has been drilled. Preferably, the encased portion of the stem extends from the head a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the circuit board, or just slightly less, thus leaving a portion of the stem extending there beyond. Therefore, when the structure with the encapsulated stem is inserted in the opening, the dielectric material extends approximately the thickness of the circuit board surrounding the stem portion, thereby isolating the stem portion from any internal structures in the circuit board. The end of the stem extends beyond the bottom of the circuit board and can be bent and attached to any desired structure on the bottom of the circuit board to complete any needed electrical connection. The surface of the conductor/contact pad that abuts the surface of the board is preferably attached thereto by an adhesive.
In another aspect of the present invention, the drilled out hole is filled with a dielectric material and then a smaller hole is drilled into which the stem portion of the structure is inserted, with it extending beyond the bottom of a circuit board. In either case, the preformed conductor contact pad is formed in a T-configuration with the head thereof completely surrounding and extending beyond the stem portion. Moreover, the head has to be larger in diameter than the drilled hole.
Thus, whether the connector contact pad structure is provided encapsulated within a dielectric material and this encapsulated structure inserted in the opening in the circuit board, or whether the opening is filled with a dielectric material and drilled, into which drilled opening the conductor/contact pad structure is inserted, it is essential that the contact pad entirely surround the stem so that the contact pad extends for contact on all sides of the stem, which stem will act as the via replacement. It is preferred that the head be cylindrical and that the stem be cylindrical and centered.
The present invention also contemplates the replacement part for the defective conductor/contact pad and the circuit board so repaired therewith.